We had planned several things for the girls to do while we relaxed (or tried to). Both of their bikes were carried along with us so they could keep themselves busy while we read. We were also hoping that in the process they would tire themselves out. I don't know if they got tired from all the riding, but it sure did kick their appetite up a notch!
Friday morning we drove down to Bisbee to take Hailey and Kyla on the Queen Mine Tour. Years ago (many, many years ago) we had done the same thing with our 3 children. The only thing I remembered was that it was cold in the mine, and we all had on yellow slickers. I don't think much has changed. The mine temperature is a constant 47 degrees all year long, and we still got outfitted in heavy yellow coats.
Hailey and Kyla posed by and old mining engine outside the mine.
This is how they looked after being fitted with a hard hat, slicker, battery pack around the waist and a light.
Also on our agenda was some short hikes located in the park campground. There are plenty of trails to choose from. Sandy took along her favorite Scooby Doo walking stick. I know Hailey passed me up in height a couple of months ago, and it looks like she has done the same thing to her great aunt. Good grief, I sure wasn't that tall when I was twelve!
Kyla, Jerry, Shane (Jerry & Sandy's granddaughter) and Sandy stopped along the road so I could take a picture of the front of them. Otherwise, I am stopping to take photos and wind up taking photos of "the north end of south bound ducks", so to speak.
Looks like Don is asking Jerry if we were all on the right hiking trail.....
One of the attractions at the park this weekend was a star gazing event. A couple of amateur astronomers had brought their telescopes down for the weekend. We had a chance to go on Friday night and also on Saturday afternoon. All three girls (Hailey, Kyla and Shane) were really interested in seeing the stars through the telescopes and finding out more about our wonderful universe.
As I said before, we planned on leaving Sunday morning because Hailey and Kyla had school on Monday. Saturday afternoon it turned cold, and the wind kicked up several notches. The gusty winds rocked Don to sleep that night, but it sure interfered with mine. We decided to stay one more night because of the high wind advisory. That meant we had to make a run to Casa Grande with only the truck to meet up with their Mom. The turn around trip took up most of the day. This was one of those times when we wished diesel fuel wasn't $4.39 a gallon! I had a bright idea of putting a sail up on the roof and using the wind to push us up there, but Don wasn't too keen about holding on to the roof and sail while I drove. We'll never know if it would have worked...... : (
What did the wind blow in? Snow! This was a first for us. We have driven in snow, but have never done any camping in it until now. Guess there is a first time for everything, even if one is a Senior citizen!
I couldn't pass up the opportunity of capturing pictures of snow in the desert. Off I trotted, down the the road to get a photo of the Whetstone Mountains behind the campground. I didn't stay out long, my fingers got way too cold to hold the camera!
There was a nice, fat roadrunner who had taken refuge under a mesquite tree behind our trailer. I was glad I had the long range lens on the camera so I could get a close up of him.
The drive home on Monday was interesting, to say the least. We drove home through snow, sleet, hail, rain and wind before we hit sunny patches and bright blue skies. Below, you can see the snow swirling around the pavement. Is this really Arizona in spring time? Or were we transported somewhere to the Midwest? The weather sure was completely different from when we came down on Thursday!
